


The List

by ursywrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Astoria passed away during childbirth, Draco is a single dad, F/M, Minor Character Death, but not really tbh its mostly just what I wanted to take from it, softly based on epilogue, this is maybe 8 years after the battle of Hogwarts so they're like 25ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:53:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29935767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ursywrites/pseuds/ursywrites
Summary: Draco is a single dad, Hermione is a workaholic bookworm, and scorpius is a cute little one year old. mostly Draco's POVORThe one where Draco is still handling the grief of losing his wife and being a single dad while also trying to finish a to do list left by his late wife. He possibly starts to fall in love with the least likely person he thought he would in the process.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter One

Long fingers tugged and readjusted at the heavy cloths of his robes over his shoulders. A sigh passed through his lips before silver eyes dart over to his desk to assure himself he had all of his belongings before making his exit. Draco’s better judgment was first to make an appearance about how going over to ask someone who was merely a professional acquaintance for assistance was embarrassing. 

This was private, something that he’d kept tight to his chest since his wife’s passing. Astoria had been a whirlwind of a woman, the kind of person he’d been blessed to know and love but was gone because alike to most things in Draco’s life, the good things didn’t last. He always knew she’d make an early departure, the blood curse from the Greengrass family already making itself ever-present during their courtship. But that didn’t make it any less painful. 

The small parchment in his wallet felt like it was burning a hole through the leather of his wallet and his trousers. It’d been more than a year but his molars still ground in grief at the memories of his late wife. 

Pushing the thoughts to the furthest parts of his memory, the small of his pupils shrunk to their normal size. Occlumancy was his best friend and had saved him from more than one occasion of spiraling thoughts and conversation he’d much rather not have with himself or anyone else for that matter. His office in the Department of Magical Artefacts was fairly close to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so the walk was short. He was glad it was later in the day and people had mostly all headed home. The last thing he needed was other ministry employees looking at him strangely for going over to the head’s office. He’d made it clear for quite a few years how much disdain he held for formal meetings so his stroll to her office would seem more out of the ordinary than not. 

He knew she would be there, she always was which was why he’d waited until after most had left to approach her. It would make it easier in the case that her amicableness ended once they were out of a professional scenario, or an avoiding Azkaban scenario if he recalled the only other non-professional occasion they’d had an amicable interaction. His consciousness never truly allowed him to forget that had it not been for her and Potter’s testimonial both he and his mother would have spent a large bout of time there. 

Three steady knocks to her door were all it took for Draco’s ears to perk at her curt ‘come in’, silver eyes quick to take in the state of her office as he strode in. Somehow it looked like her, everything was in a state of complete and utter disaster but everything seemed to have its purpose and its place. Every book, manuscript, and file that was disorderly out of place seemed to be exactly where it needed to be and it made a small chuckle leave his lips as his eyes went to meet her curious ones instead. 

“Malfoy, is there… anything…?” her voice drifted, seemingly perplexed by his presence. Her brows furrowed and lips pursed as if his arrival was a concerning puzzle she couldn’t comprehend. 

“You sound so pleased to see me, Granger. I should stop by more often.” there was an amused tinge to his voice, hand running through his hair as he watched her slowly become more exasperated the longer he took to state his case. Judging by the array of papers on her desk and the ink splayed on her fingertips she was busy, although half the ministry and her department would argue that Granger was always busy. 

“I actually need your help.” words short and direct as he took the liberty of walking closer to her desk, toying with a trinket she had placed on the edge before bringing it closer to his eyes for better inspection. Why did it look like it had gotten splinched during multiple bouts of bad apparition, yet it took the appearance of a small piece of wood? 

“I don’t have anything to cross-examine with your department, do I? Elenora left for the day, but she’s usually very orderly about getting me these things in time.” she was already getting hasty, he could tell by the way her small inked hand was pushing and moving her papers askew to find this ‘missing’ report. 

“It’s for me, not for work.” he clarified, eyebrows raised as he tried not to be too amused with her skittish actions. It was almost endearing, to watch how no matter what the topic she was always intense. 

“I need to expand the Malfoy library, adding a muggle literature wing. As you know, that’s not exactly my area of expertise.” the last sentence was said rather awkwardly, the hand not holding the small block going to scratch the back of his neck. It was one thing for him to know he was a different person, his wife knew he was a different person, and he’d only hope his son would know he wasn’t the same person that received the faded mark on his arm, but Granger? He wasn’t sure amicable and understanding he wasn’t the same kid that called her a ‘filthy mudblood’ so many years ago fit in the same place. 

“Why do you even want to add a muggle wing?” she questioned, confusion still etched on her face but it was more than clear that her confusion was much more serious. Blood supremacy wasn’t something the wizarding world just forgot about, and he was more than aware of the fact that she still received backlash for her birth status even if it was kept much more hushed now that she sat in a position of power. 

“It’s for Scorpius.” answer clipped as his mind forced a thin wave of coldness to flood his consciousness to keep the conversation as pragmatic as possible. He could already see the way a look of pity clouded her eyes, he was starting to grow tired of that look. “Astoria wanted me to add one but I hadn’t gotten the chance.” before she died. The parchment folded in his wallet feeling heavy at the thought, build a muggle wing, being the third item on the list. A list he hadn’t asked for, much less one he had expected to be delivered by Belsy a week after her passing. The elf had apparently gotten quick instruction to deliver the parchment and give him space because he’d barely clutched it in his hand before she apparated away. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to just drop your work and do me a favor just because I ask. But it’s pretty known knowledge that you’ve made residence in the ministry’s library, and there’s the on-going rumor that you’ve somehow managed to practically finish everything worth reading.” he watched her as she looked back at him speculatively, although Draco wasn’t blind to the pink tinge of embarrassment that flushed the smooth skin of her cheeks. 

“The Malfoy library is one of a kind, and if you help me I’ll give you unlimited access for as long as you want. You just have to make sure the new wing isn’t a fucking shitshow.” silver eyes met with her dark honey brown ones, unflinching because if she was going to deny him the request he just wanted her to get on with it. 

“I-” she seemed to be at a loss for words, tongue poking out to moisten her lips as seemed to think about the proposal. Granger was never at a loss for words, always quick at the mouth and fiery which throughout the years he’d always found entertaining if not slightly amusing. Though he noted she was also amusing quiet, though he wasn’t sure if he was loosely interchanging amusing and cute. “- um, so you want me to help you make a muggle children’s wing?” the question rang positively in his ears, more than obliged to provide clarification. 

“No, just a muggle literature wing. This can include children’s books of course, but it’s just a library wing. It’s for any future Malfoy, Granger.” he twisted the small block in his hand, curiously finding that it seemed to have loose parts. “What is this?” it was his turn to ask a question, bringing the small block up to showcase the item of his curiosity. 

“It’s just a puzzle,” she said dismissively, refocusing on the prior part of the conversation as she put her quill back in its place as she spoke to him. “Alright, I’ll think about it.” speaking with finality as she nodded to herself. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, what was so complicated about his request that she had to think about it? 

He put down the block, tagging his mind with the fact that the misshapen wood was apparently some type of puzzle. Muggle objects always seemed so peculiar to him, and their enjoyment even more so. “Thinking about curating a library wing? And getting full access to one of the biggest libraries in wizarding Britain? I’m shocked.” a throaty chuckle falling from his lips in surprise as he shook his head and rolled his shoulders back. He decided it was best he left, aware her need for politically correct diplomacy was probably the only reason she hadn’t denied his request straight off the bat. 

“I think this is sweet, and I’m still so sorry about your wife, but I need more than just a few seconds’ notice to decide I’m going to dedicate my time to helping you create an entire wing. Not to mention the fact that as you can tell-” her hands waved over the mess of papers in front of her, almost knocking the quill and ink on her desk over in the process before quickly holding it in place. “-I’m swamped. Just… let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.” Granger somehow looked more exasperated the more she tried to make herself sound reasonable, which to him caused nothing more than a mere eye roll. 

“Sure, Granger.” he didn’t even bother saying goodnight, turning on his heel as he left her office to the sound of an exasperated Hermione in the background. Now he was back to square one, figuring out what exactly to do about the unmarked task in the heavy parchment in his wallet.


	2. Chapter Two

______________________

_Malfoy,_

_I hope this finds you well and that your offer still stands, as I would like to move forward with the idea of curating a wing in your family library. After careful consideration, and dutifully looking through my schedule, I think I can allot enough time to fulfill your request. With this in mind, I would love to discuss the conditions of my access to the Malfoy library during and after the expansion process._

_Best Regards,  
H.J.G  
______________________

Draco was shocked to see the letter in his incoming mail pile a few days after their last interaction, having been completely sure that his exit from her office would be the last he heard from the woman on the topic. A smug smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he reread the paper in his hand, Granger was something else. 

That day in his office he’d taken the time to immediately compose his own reply once he’d gotten the chance, giving her a carefully laid out structure of her permissions in the family library. She could come by appointment to browse and borrow, or just especially request a book owled to her home or work quarters as long as it was diligently returned in full condition. It was fairly rudimentary, but he decided to play ball since the woman felt the need to be so formal. After all, if setting ground rules left her at ease, he didn’t care enough to rustle her feathers. 

He dropped the letter in his outbox that night, deciding against hand delivering because maybe this was better. They weren’t friends, and doing this through a back and forth of correspondence fit her ‘busy schedule’ and allowed for him to avoid any awkward conversations. He didn’t like awkward conversations, he’d started to enjoy the desolate solitude of keeping to himself. 

They continued bouts of correspondence back and forth for almost a week before everything was settled into place. She’d be coming over that following saturday, not only to inspect the library and how big this wing would be but also to use her Malfoy Library privileges for the first time. He could somehow feel her buzzing excitement through her letter of confirmation once he’d received it. 

Draco was nervous, and although that wasn’t something he admitted often to himself it was true. Apart from the occasional appearance of Blaise and Theo, no one particularly visited him, not even his ‘devoted’ mother. 

Something about being a formal Death Eater that actually resented it and renounced the ideology of blood purity did that to most of his relationships. But that was alright, it was something he’d come to terms with. The moment his family felt the need to distance themselves because of his wife’s much more liberal ideology, he’d realized Astoria was the best thing that could ever happen to him, even if now that she was gone he was once again alone. 

Now he had Scorpius, and he’d promised himself he’d raise him as someone far from the person he’d been brought up as. If only just to make Astoria proud, because sometimes it was the only thing that drove him when the solitude became all consuming. 

The morning had barely made its appearance that saturday before he was already up and running with his day. Belsy was there by his bedside before his feet had even touched the hardwood floor, large eyes looking up at him before she spoke. 

“Good Morning, sir. Your daily prophet is on the table with your tea, and baby master Scorpius is still asleep.” the elf spoke rapidly, fidgeting as she stood in front of him. The ticks from years of handling from his father were still present even though he hadn’t lived in their home for almost a decade now. 

“Thank you, Belsy. Let me know when Miss Granger arrives, please. I’ll call you if I need anything.” speaking curtly as he rose from his bed, feet padding to the room attached to his own. 

Eyes fell immediately on the proprietor of the small snores in the room, a genuine smile on his lips as his large hand went to swipe platinum locks away from the child's forehead in his sleep. He took in the sight of pudgy cheeks and furrowed brows as Scorpius’ eyes squinted shut from the gentle touch to his forehead. Draco had never been tender, or known how to emulate that from his person but the moment he’d seen his son, all that changed. 

The blubbering child made him smile as his aged silver eyes met the child’s bright ones upon his awakening, he was perfect. Large hands wrapped under the sides of his body as he lifted the boy into his chest, 

“Good Morning, bud…” words gruff and muttered as he placed a tender kiss on his forehead. 

When Granger arrived he was already dressed for the day, trousers and a thick jumper on his body as he continued business as usual until her presence was known. Belsy had her hand firmly held in her own as she maneuvered the curly haired woman to the sitting room adjacent to the large double door entry of the Malfoy Library. 

“Granger.”

“Malfoy.” 

The greetings were curt and short, followed by the quick departure of the house elf as he sat up from his position on the large tawny sofa he was currently sitting in. The irony that he was reading a book not lost on him as he placed it down on the coffee table, getting on his feet to sit on the armrest instead. 

“You’re early. not that I expected any less...” he said pointedly, taking in her appearance as he finally looked at her. She looked as prim and pressed as she always did, form fitting jeans with a loose cardigan buttoned to the very top. the scattered ringlets of curls on her head always reminded him that no matter how prim and proper she looked, it was still the same frizzy haired know-it-all girl he’d known in his adolescence. 

“I think punctuality shows character.” she huffed, holding her bag more firmly over her shoulder as her eyes darted around the room. The only other time she’d been at the manor had not been pleasant, which wasn’t lost on the blonde man as he got to his feet. Just because that fateful evening had been almost eight years in the past, didn’t mean he didn’t remember it every time he saw her face. 

“I doubt anyone thinks you lack character, Granger.” chuckling at the thought under his breath as he approached her, hand waving her forward ahead of him and pointing his chin towards the large double doors across the hall. 

“Come on, you can settle your stuff down over here.” silver eyes watching her stride in front of him, he spoke the doors password under his breath with guided eyes and the large double doors opened before them. 

The moment the small woman took the first look inside she froze, mouth agape in almost childlike wonder at the rows upon rows of bookshelves hidden behind those doors. It was almost mystical, mahogany wood shelves matching the deep tone of the floor. Emerald curtains adorned the floor to ceiling windows parallel the doors, bringing slivers of natural light through their partitions to the thousands of square feet of space in the room. Upon first glance, the library was almost mystical. 

“Wow… This is...” the awe in her voice was almost palpable, standing frozen in place for a few seconds before she started moving further into the room. It looked as if it could swallow her whole, and if it did she didn’t look as if she’d mind it. 

“I wish I could say your reaction was anything less than predictable, Granger.” musing as he walked passed her into the room, although he couldn’t help but look back to capture her engrossed gaze one more time because it was refreshing. He wondered if she was like this about everything, not just scholarly things. Did she find enjoyment in all little things like these? He wondered what that kind of innocence felt like, to behold things as rudimentary as a library and wayward books with such admiration. 

She didn’t even speak to him once it seemed she’d stopped gawking at her surroundings, following him over to the large rectangular table in the far left side of the room to set down her bag. 

“Let me give you a tour, before you start drooling on my floor.” he teased, walking towards her and starting towards the first bookshelf to the right. 

“Yes, please.” polite in every nuance of her tone as hurried steps followed him. She was mostly quiet as they walked the expanses of the library, observing and listening when not softly touching the spine of some of the books on her way. He felt like he was a tour guide and she was his fully engrossed tourist. 

“... and that’s about it. This is the empty wing, as you can see it’s fairly large and ready to be filled with… non-magical literature.” he ended, leaning on one of the many empty bookshelf columns. 

“They’re just books, Malfoy. Pointing out their non-magical nature is pointless. Your potions book doesn’t do anything special yet it is still a book, is it not?” eyes rolling as she spoke and took in all the empty space. 

“It is, but it serves a purpose.” he countered, eyebrows raised as his arms crossed over his chest in amusement. She was always quite funny even though he was very aware that was far from her purpose when she spoke. 

“So does muggle literature.” Granger spoke with daring finality, as if this was not an argument he wanted to have with her. She was correct, the last thing he wanted was to humor the idea that these books actually held anything remote to important. Internally he was reminded that the only reason he was doing this was because Astoria had been so pertinent to her desire to have a child that respected all people, especially ones non-magical in nature. She wanted him raised fair differently than they had been.

“So, how long will this take?” he questioned, watching as she seemed to be counting the empty rows and columns of the bookshelves ahead of them. 

“A few months at best, this is a big project.” Did she sound giddy? He wasn’t sure. 

“Okay then, how do we start?” eyebrows raised in expectation as she turned to look at him, from the distance where she stood now he was sure giddy was definitely the right term. Her honey brown eyes were glistening, hand coming up to brush a stray curl from her cheek as she hummed in thought. 

“I have a skeleton idea written up in my bag we can look at. I got a little ahead of myself.” the confession made a small smile tug at his lips, yet again not at all surprised by her behaviour. Had she changed at all since their time at school? 

“Of course you do.” it was murmured mostly to himself, walking patiently in long strides behind her as she hurriedly and confusingly found her way back to the sitting area of the library. 

“We have to set a meeting schedule, and I need to go to the muggle bookstore with you so you can actually pick the editions you prefer.” she mused, hands rummaging through her bag until she took out a small folder with what seemed to be quite a few sheets of paper. 

“Why wouldn’t you just pick them, since you’d know them best?” he questioned curiously, although it was also more of a cheap ploy to not have to go to muggle London. 

“They just have different covers, some have added forwards and things of the like. It’s not for all of them, just certain sections require more specific curating and it's your library, Malfoy, not mine.” she said matter of factly as she turned to look at him as if he’d grown a second head. 

“I suppose that sounds reasonable.”

“It’s not optional, I’m not your employee. I’m doing this as a favor so I won’t be putting in all the work alone.”

“Are you always this confrontational?” walking over to the chair next to where she was standing and pulling it out to sit. 

“I’m not confrontational.” the tone in her voice made it very clear that he was definitely not the first person to mention it. Though, the way the glisten in her eyes gained a small spark only served to grow his amusement. 

“I didn’t plan on dumping my shit on you, Granger.” he was slouching into the wooden chair, forearms strewn on either armrest as it was his turn to look up at her from his position. 

“Good.” she huffed, pulling out her chair next to his and pushing her plans in his direction. 

“I didn’t know if it was just a small remodel so I’d already made a small list of books to add in different genres.-” he pointedly noticed that the ‘small list’ she was referring to was about, at minimum, five pages long in very small handwriting. 

“- Now that I know it’s much bigger, I think we can just use the list as a skeleton of sections of the wing to get inspiration for other books to add to it.” dark grey eyes went from the paper to her face as he got closer to the desk, watching how her eyes squinted together in concentration as she put the sheets in some sort of order over the desk in front of them. He could smell the reminiscence of a jasmine perfume wafting in his direction when she brushed her hair behind her shoulder and away from her face. When was the last time he’d smell a woman’s perfume? It made him dizzy. 

“Does that make sense?” her face was turning to look at him again, a friendly face with a rosy tint on her cheeks from the heat of the library a welcoming sight. 

He only nodded, clearing his throat as he turned back to the papers on the desk, grabbing what appeared to be the first sheet. 

“So you’ve read all of these?” 

“Yes, -” somehow the temperature caused tint on her cheeks grew stronger, clearly from some sort of embarrassment. He didn’t see a reason for her to be embarrassed. 

“- I used to go to the library a lot as a child, prior to hogwarts and all. My parents would get out of work late and the library was funner than being home alone.” she was shifting in her seat, crossing one leg over the other as she shifted to face more of him. He wasn’t sure if the gesture was because she was trying to feign comfort in their conversation or because she was actually comfortable. Reading body language wasn’t something he’d ever been very talented in. 

“What about -” he was about to ask about friends, when he came to the daunting and obvious realization that the missing two parts of the golden trio might have been her first ones. It would explain the attachment, and why she’d martyr herself for the likes of Potter. He didn’t exactly dislike him the reasons most might think, he just thought the other man was insufferably annoying with a hero complex. 

“- nevermind. This looks great.” her eyes squinted in curiosity and disdain, lips pursed together with lack of satisfaction. 

“What were you going to say?” Granger looked almost offended, as if she had already resolved around a thousand different questions he could have asked and was upset about every single one.

“What about other hobbies, reading seems to be a bit too bland to take up all your time. Even now.” The lie was seamless, still offensive enough to cover up the fact that he was about to ask about her friendless childhood. 

“Reading is fine.” there it was, the tone of hurt and annoyance he could still recognize. 

“I know. That's why I said nevermind, Granger.” chuckling a bit and putting the paper back down on the desk. 

Belsy appeared almost on par with his release of the paper in his hand, large eyes looking up at him and Granger before speaking. 

“Excuse me, master Draco, baby master Scorpius has awoken from his nap. “ She reported, fidgeting in place as she folded and unfolded her hands. Draco just nodded, running hands over his thighs before he stood up from his seat. 

“I assume you’ve already checked him, so you can just go start on his food and I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Belsy.” not having to give the elf a second glance for her to dismiss herself before he turned back to the brunette in front of him. 

“Granger, I hav-” 

“I’ll be on my way.” she interrupted instead, already packing up her items as if he’d told her to leave. 

“You don’t have to, you can just stay here for a while. I doubt you’ll be stealing any of these, I know where you work.” he joked, running a hand through his now tousled locks from the nervous habit of doing it so often. 

“Technically, it wouldn’t be stealing. You gave me written consent.” 

“Touche.” he smiled, a genuine one as she looked back at him bashfully. Always so fiery. 

“I’ll be back in a little while, do… whatever people who go to the library for fun do, I suppose. If you finish before I come back and would like to leave, just call to Belsy, she’ll escort you out.” he was already walking away as he spoke, looking forward as his words floated to her behind him. 

“Malfoy, I’m sure you’re more than well aware you’ll have to escort me out yourself. I’m making a small home for myself here.” it was her turn to joke, he could hear it in her voice. He’d never thought Granger could muster whatever niceness she had to be pleasant, instead of overwhelmingly annoying like her choice of company, but he was glad to be surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated early !! which im also excited about because Im pretty excited to see this idea come to fruition. I know its a bit slow for right now, I just wanted to kind of take the first few chapters to set a foundation for them and where they're at. We'll see more of Scorpius next chapter, also I plan on having a chapter in Hermione's POV on chapter 4 ! thank you for reading and your feedback is super appreciated.


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